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Pediatric Hand Therapy Fellowship for Occupational Therapists
We care for patients’ growing muscles, joints and bones through sports medicine, surgery, rehabilitation and research.
Children's Hospital Colorado’s Rehabilitation and Therapy Services offers a comprehensive 12-month pediatric hand therapy fellowship for occupational therapists interested in treating pediatric hand and upper extremity conditions. We provide clinical and didactic opportunities that give the fellow experience caring for various injuries and conditions of the upper extremities in children and young adults.
What to expect from our pediatric hand therapy fellowship
Our mission is to develop occupational therapists into leaders in pediatric hand therapy through learning and clinical programming that includes:
- Providing individualized and specialized care for the whole child and young adult with upper limb injuries or differences
- Delivering evidence-based, developmentally appropriate assessments and intervention techniques
- Fabricating quality upper extremity orthoses that meet the specialized needs of children
- Supporting meaningful engagement and improving patients’ quality of life
Working alongside board-certified occupational therapists and certified hand therapists, the pediatric hand therapy fellow treats patients at our Denver Metro area locations (Anschutz Medical Campus, Health Pavilion, North Campus, and South Campus). The fellow also works in multidisciplinary clinic settings with hand and orthopedic surgeons, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses and support staff.
Our program offers comprehensive didactic content focused on pediatric and young adult patients. As of August 2023, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) deemed our program to be in compliance with the AOTA Fellowship Program Criteria, and recognized it as an Approved AOTA Fellowship Program for a period of 10 years. This recognition makes our program the first ever AOTA approved Pediatric Hand Therapy Fellowship Program.
- Children’s Hospital Colorado Pediatric Hand Therapy Fellowship officially recognized by AOTA as of August 2023
- Graduated initial fellow cohort (1 fellow), August of 2023
- 2022-2023 fellowship graduate outcomes:
- Working full time at Children’s Minnesota
- Advocating for hand therapy in current hospital system and sharing knowledge with colleagues to optimize care by:
- Working with organizational administration to start Upper Extremity serial casting for the first time + development of associated competencies
- Developing lunch and learns on general splinting and Upper Extremity orthopedic injuries
- Collaborating with neurosurgeons to initiate a Brachial Plexus Clinic
- 40 hours per week for 12 months
- 350+ hours of direct mentorship by a certified hand therapist
- Weekly meetings to discuss patient care and clinical reasoning
- Didactic learning modules on pediatric hand and upper extremity diagnoses, evaluation, treatment, orthotic fabrication, clinical reasoning and evidenced-based practice
- Self-led learning through online platforms
- Live presentations and learning labs from local and national experts
- Written and clinical patient exams
- Monthly pediatric hand therapy team meetings including journal clubs, case studies and clinical care discussions
- Orthotic and casting fabrication lab
- Multidisciplinary clinics: hand, brachial plexus, burn, amputee and epidermolysis bullosa
- Weekly University of Colorado School of Medicine hand conference led by hand surgery faculty and surgical fellows
- Pediatric hand and upper extremity surgery observations
- Cadaver lab dissection with hand surgery fellows
- Pediatric occupational therapy research and quality improvement projects
- Presenting at and attending hospital-based and community educational presentations
- Program year: August – July 31 (12 months)
- Application window (October 1 –December 31): Submitted through careers portal link
- Education (Completed by June 1): Graduation from an accredited school of Occupational Therapy
- Licensure (Obtained by August 1): State of Colorado Occupational Therapy license
- Certifications:
- National Board Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification (obtained by July 1)
- Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare providers/CPR (obtained by August 1)
- Experience (Preferred): Clinical work experience or a minimum of one fieldwork in an outpatient hand and upper extremity setting; experience working with children
- Other: Valid driver’s license and/or reliable transportation for commuting to our clinic locations
- Full-time (40+ hours per week), salaried position
- Please note, fellow salary is based on 32 hours of patient care/ week = 80% of staff therapist salary
- Fellow salary is reflected in the financial fact sheet linked below
- Medical benefits, including dental and vision
- Continuing education opportunities
- One year Subscription to MedBridge for didactic opportunities
- Financial Fact Sheet + Calculator
Applying to our Program
We accept applications from January 15 to March 15 for the one-year fellowship program that runs approximately August 1 to July 31. We accept one registered occupational therapist (OTR) each year.
To apply for the fellowship, visit our careers portal and search for "Occupational Therapy Hand Fellowship" and follow the steps to apply.
Completed applications should include:
- Professional cover letter
- Completed essay questions
- Current resumé or curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation, including one from a former employer or field educator
Contact us
Please email us at: PedsHandTherapyFellowship@childrenscolorado.org
Pediatric Hand Therapy Fellowship Program Coordinator: Sarah Schmeda
Pediatric Hand Therapy Fellowship Program Administrator: Kara Copanas